Judy Rametta isn’t what you’d call a name dropper, and she wants people to know that celebrities don’t stop by her production house,
StarTrak Studios Inc., every single day. But there are exceptions.
For example, the time Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis arrived and settled in: “She brought a friend and spent the afternoon reminiscing about her early days,” Rametta said.
And former Warwick resident James Woods, the fast-talking character actor: “Although, he doesn’t live here anymore,” Rametta pointed out.
And Justin Bieber: “He arrived with more vehicles and people than everyone else,” she said.
Justin Bieber, wait, what? Turns out he played a teenage bomber on “CSI” in 2010 during his early acting days. “We had to fix his audio. He came with his grandfather and started drawing with my kids,” Rametta said. “We’ve also replaced, matched or recreated the audio for TV shows shot here, like ‘The Brotherhood’ and ‘Body of Proof.’ ”
Justin Bieber aside, Rametta oversees an audio/video company with a full-time staff of three who work with advertising, media and direct clients. Additional crew members and dozens of voiceover, on-air talent and other freelancers are also housed in a sprawling, 3,000-square-foot facility in Warwick.
Rametta, a Lincoln native, was drawn to a media career from the outset. She edited her high school yearbook, then graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Science in photojournalism, followed by a full-time reporting job. “I was at the Woonsocket Call, where a lot of the news was about landfills,” she said. “The stories were pretty gritty.”
Looking for a change, she went on a job interview at
Bogh AV Productions, a marketing and PR firm. “When I walked in, I saw Kodachrome slides everywhere,” she recalled. “I thought, these are my people.”
She worked at Bogh for 10 years, eventually moving up to production manager. “I met my future husband, Jack, there as a client,” she said. They married in 1992, and she joined him at StarTrak a year later, eventually becoming the company’s majority partner. Today, as president, she manages and produces projects, and handles the business side. Her husband is the main videographer and an accomplished composer, with several New England Emmys for his original scores.
Over the years, StarTrak’s roster of clients has grown. Many are referrals, some are current, and some are repeats, including Paul Masse car dealerships, BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. and
Gem Plumbing & Heating Co.
The company has also worked with politicians, including former Gov. Gina M. Raimondo, Sen. Jack Reed and many other Rhode Island public officials. “We’re not political animals though,” Rametta said. “We try to stay out of politics.
“At any one moment, we may be working with a dozen clients,” she said. “We’ve put out hundreds of radio spots and at least 200 for TV.”
Recently, she’s been working with another longtime client,
RDW Group Inc., a marketing agency. The
R.I. Office of Health and Human Services hired RDW to create a campaign, and StarTrak, as a subcontractor, is producing video and radio spots. National numbers show an upsurge in kids who are eating parents’ gummies laced with cannabis; the commercials will warn how these and unsecured medications can pose a poisoning risk to young children. “We try to work on projects that make a difference,” Rametta said. The production work should take a couple of weeks, with plans to air this summer.
Julie Rishworth, an RDW production manager, is Rametta’s contact on the project and has toiled with her in the trenches for years. “We work very closely, and there’s a lot of back and forth,” Rishworth said.
“Judy makes things work. She really is collegial. There can be a lot of changes and she accommodates all that. With her, we know the end product will make us look good, be on budget and on time.”
The ads are being filmed at
McAuley Village, where Rametta chairs the organization’s board of trustees. The nonprofit supports needy communities with food assistance, housing, clothing and social services. She describes it as a cause near and dear to many.
Her other passion project is working with students. In 2005, she finished a master’s degree in English literature at the
University of Rhode Island and started teaching. “My first year there, one of my students turned out to be one of my clients,” she said. “It was awkward.”
She moved on and since 2007 has been an adjunct at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, Conn., teaching literature and composition. “I try to work with students who need extra encouragement with their English skills. I like to help them with their critical thinking,” she said.
Although bigger opportunities have come along over the years, Rametta says she and Jack have no interest in pulling up stakes and leaving. “Rhode Island is a good place to work,” she said.
“We raised our kids here and always come back home,” she added. “We don’t take business that would cast a negative light on the state. We’re trying to do a bit of good in the world. There’s no place like here.”
